The Fall

 “The Fall: Paradise Lost”

Text: Genesis 3  // Series: Beginnings

Message @ JRCC – Sunday, Jan 23, 2011

Welcome, invite back into seats…  Set up Genesis series.  Theme for 2011 is “Back to Basics”…  So to start the year off, we wanted to go over the basic building blocks of the Biblical narrative.  The idea is to give you a filing system – think of a well organized set of file drawers (see Jon Mair for help with this, NOT me!).  When you come across a concept or a text in the Old or New Testament, you want to know “where do I file this?” What category would this be under?  Now, a disclaimer – sounds like systematic theology, which it is.  But big beef with systematic theology is that they create the file system then they take the text and sometimes they force it into their filing system.  What is more helpful is to let the Bible define and shape the categories because of its congruency and harmony, you have the possibility for a helpful mental set. 

So, over the past two weeks, we have explored Act 1, Scene 1 and Act I, Scene two.  Creation narrative, the most important words ever spoken (In the Beginning GOD created).  Genesis 1 is not concerned with some of our categories – it is semi-poetic in nature and is intended to emphasize the WHO and the WHY of creation, not the specifics of HOW (more information on this tonight with Dr. Brown).  Then in Act 1, Scene 2 incredible creative activity is punctuated or culminated by Sabbath rest – God declares it GOOD and delights in the relationships, the perfection of His creation.  Then in Genesis Chapter 2, we have a repetition of the narrative in Ch. 1 – but with a different emphasis.  This one is more narrative and less poetic.  Some people ask “why in the world do we have two accounts?”  Similar question to why do we have 4 Gospel accounts – they each emphasis a unique camera angle, or more accurately a narrative perspective, on the events.  So here we are this morning in Act 1, Scene 3 - Genesis 3 [title slide]… 

Now, before we go any further, let’s do a little refresh on High School English…  We were all trained to explore what made a good narrative.  What would you say are the elements that comprise a god story?  [Q&A]

(characters, the problem / adversity they must overcome).  So far we have    

The Backstory: Genesis 1&2

“God, the sovereign Lord of all, created the heavens and the earth through his powerful word. God made humans, male and female, in the image of God to live in fellowship with each other and himself and to be stewards of creation.  - ICOMB Confession of Faith 

Sounds peachy, doesn’t it?  But we’re missing one of the most important elements of the narrative – the PROBLEM!  We know this intuitively and experientially.  All is not right with the world…  From our own personal lives: brokenness, hardships, disappointments, people wrong us, we wrong people.  We make bad choices and suffer consequences…  And not only personally, but also more broadly.  All is not right with our world.  Evil exists.  Bad things happen to good people.  People get sick.  They cancer and some of them die. There are wars and rumours of wars.  The natural order of things comes undone at times and tsunamis hit SE Asia, earthquakes ravage Haiti, flooding decimates Australia, avalanches burry people…  All is not right with our world.  While the scope of our time tighter this morning doesn’t allow for a full philosophical treatment of the problem of evil or the theological origins of sin, we do need to think clearly about the presence of evil in our world.  If the backstory paints a picture of paradise, the natural question should be ‘what happened?’ 

And sometimes, skeptics ask the best questions.  I have a friend who is far from God but who asks really good questions about the Bible.  She was doing what you would do in western culture, start and the left-hand side of a book and move to the right and so she came across Genesis 1 and 2 but then she hit Genesis 3.  After a read through, she came to me and said in her own words “what the hell, Pastor Brad.  How could somebody eating a freaking (except she didn’t say freaking) piece of fruit thousands of years ago screw it up for the rest of us?”  It’s a really good question, and it deserves a really good answer.  So let’s pray as we dive into God’s Word.      

Genesis 3:1-7 (on 3 slides)

Now, before we go any further it’s probably helpful to note that just like Genesis 1 & 2, there are things that we are deeply interested in or perhaps even assume, that Genesis 3 isn’t interested at all in telling us.  For example, you’ll never see the little phrase that forms the title of our message today, the Fall, anywhere in Genesis 3.  Students and teachers of theology use the word “the fall” to represent what happened next in the story but a better sense might be the word ‘dsobedience’.  Those who are parents of toddlers will understand this language – Adam and Eve made a very bad choice.  It wasn’t so much that they were tripped up or tricked – in fact, that word in verse 1 is shrewd, and it’s the same word used in our Momentum journal readings in Proverbs. 

Speaking of which, we are told very little about the serpent.  It is very tempting for us to impart all kinds of theological backfill and categories onto the serpent from the New Testament – name him as Satan and such, but Genesis 3 doesn’t do that. It  The text also doesn’t say anything about why the serpent approached the women.  Some would read I Timothy to say she was weaker and more susceptible to his overture, but Genesis 3 doesn’t say that.  In fact, Genesis 3:6 says that Adam was with her.  We have this image of Eve being seduced by this wicked snake standing alone by the tree but all of the pronouns in the text are plural, indicating to us that Adam is present but silent.  And the pronouns in the text also give us an indication that Adam and Eve are real human beings and not merely typological metaphors to explain the presence of evil.  To be sure, this in an open narrative from which we can draw many conclusions and applications but there is still an emphasis on the key players.  Similar to Genesis 1 and 2, it is a portrayal of events as opposed to a specific timeline.  That also helps us understand why there are all kinds of other details in here that we would LOVE to know but that the text doesn’t tell us.  For example, where was this garden (we know two of the four rivers mentioned)… text doesn’t say.  What kind of fruit was it?  An apple?  A pomegranate?  Something else?  We don’t know.  So perhaps let’s turn our attention to what we DO know and what we can learn from this text.

In Genesis 3, the intent of the author is to help us understand the question of why the world is the way it is.  What happened to the perfect, idyllic world that God created?  There narrative unfolds like any good drama does – there’s tension as opportunity presents itself.  We would call temptation.  And in Genesis we do learn a good deal about that unfolds, both for our first human ancestors and for us.  So let’s talk about temptation:

On Temptation:

One of the first things to note is that temptation only exists in a world where choices exist.  Henry Ford once famously said of his cars “they come in any colour you like so long as it’s black”  If a black car is the only possible outcome, then I can’t actually be tempted by a pink car.  Similarly, one of the elements we learn about God and how we design the world and humanity is that he gave them and us choices.  Now, God could have set up the world in any way he wanted to.  He could have made us robots, mindlessly doing His bidding.  But what does Gen 1 & 2 says that God wanted to make us in His image.  And part of being made in His image is the ability to choose.  To exercise free will.  Which then makes temptation a possibility.  So Genesis 3 begins to give us an anthropology – an understanding of how the world works but how we as humans are created. 

But the presence of choice alone doesn’t help us understand temptation.  Not only does choice have to exist, but also I have to want to choose something.  We do this as parents and people all the time.  Listen to my voice:  Do you want to watch this show, (exciting) or this show (boring)?   I have to want what I am being tempted with. And the text says that Eve did want it.  One commentator on Gen 3 put it this way:    

• “Temptation is most effective when it dangles something before us that can easily be interpreted as good.” (Walton)

This choice, the knowledge of good and evil seems like a good pursuit.  So why is this a bad choice?  She wants to be like God.  She wants to supplant God in the relationship.  The image we get is a life-cycle:

The New Testament writer James says it this way:

          - “But each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed.¹⁵ Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” (James 1:14-15) 

So we come to understand that there are

On Consequences of Disobedience:

• Changed self-perception (compare 2:25 & 3:7) – shame, guilt enter the world…  Same as when we disobey (we feel it viscerally)
• Blame & Self-Deception – the devil made me do it, sibling examples (cookie jar)
• Relational Distortions

-         Between God and humanity (3:8-13) – fellowship broken (read 3:8ff)

-         Between men and women (3:16) – mutuality broken

-         Between humans & created order (3:14-19) – the first readers understand birthing and farming.  Theology of work.  It was good but now it’s hard! 

• Spiritual and physical death - she doesn’t die immediately.  How are we to understand this?  There are also consequences for others(animals have to die)  Confession of Faith

We believe that the first humans yielded to the tempter, Satan, and fell into sin. Since then, all people disobey God and choose to sin, falling short of the glory of God. As a result, sin and evil have gained a hold in the world, disrupting God’s purposes for the created order and alienating humans from God and therefore from creation, each other and themselves. Human sinfulness results in physical and spiritual death. Because all have sinned, all face eternal separation from God

Paradise Lost

“Humans abused their freedom by rebelling against God in disobedience, which resulted in alienation and death. In the rebellion against God’s rule, the evil powers of Satan, sin and death claimed control of the world.   - ICOMB Confession of Faith 

But thankfully this isn’t the end of the story!

Because in Genesis 3, we also learn about God’s Character:

On God’s Character:

• He is both a provider & a withholder

- “The Lord will withhold no good thing
 from those who do what is right” (Ps 84:11)

Where should we place the emphasis?  God as putting the tree in the garden?  No…  Gen 1&2, God is a god of abundance and provision… 

- “The woman overemphasizes the withholding action of God…  The distortion of the drama of creation opens the door to disobedience.” (Roop)

The same thing is true in your live and mine…  What we emphasize is critically important.  There are people who start their story with Gen 3..  The problem.  But Gen 1&2 are the start of the story – God is Good…  

Communion Response and Reflection:

• How do you see God?

- “What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? ³² Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?” (Romans 8:31-32)

• How does God see you?

“Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone.

¹⁹Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous” (Romans 5:18-19)

Communion worship.